


Hive-Minded

by ChaoticNeutral



Series: Tumblr Works [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Brainwashing, Creepy, F/M, Hiding, Hive Mind, I Don't Even Know, The Author Regrets Everything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-12 18:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18015671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticNeutral/pseuds/ChaoticNeutral
Summary: Something has taken over the students of Ms. Bustier's class.Right now, Marinette seems to be the only one left. She's forced to run and hide, trying to escape with two kwami in tow.And she's hiding from the one person she would give anything to be seen by.





	Hive-Minded

**Author's Note:**

> So…I did a thing. And no, I don’t know why or where it came from. Someone help?

* * *

  

Hurry!

 

She didn’t bother shoving anything aside. It would take too much time and would make her path too evident and easy to be followed. Instead, she ducked and crawled and scooched her way around the various furniture as quickly as possible to reach the small opening of the crawl space beneath the stairs leading to the roof.

 

Hurry hurry hurry!

 

It was a small hiding place, and one she only knew of thanks to her frequent explorations as Ladybug to find points of entry and possible hiding places when necessary. It wouldn’t allow her to exit, but at the very least, it was an easily overlooked hiding place in a pinch.

 

Hurryhurryhurryhurryhurry

 

She could hear the footsteps racing forward towards her location and her desperation to hide only grew.

 

HURRYHURRYHURRYHURRYHURRYHURRYHUR—

 

She gave a final push and slid herself underneath a desk and into the crawl space. It served as an extra storage cabinet when necessary, and most people forgot it was even there. Quickly, she pulled herself fully within the space and eased the door back in place without fully closing it. It might risk her being seen, but closing it would certainly attract attention. Then there was one other reason.

 

She needed to be able to see her pursuer, after all.

 

Within seconds, a familiar blond figure in a white shirt entered the area and she cursed her luck as she caught sight of the last one she’d wanted to see.

 

“Marinette! Where are you?”

 

That may have been a mistake.

 

Adrien was right out there, not even twenty feet away and he was looking for her. In any other situation, she might have been elated. But this had not been a normal day and the unnatural glow of his eyes were a tale-tell sign that only made her want to shiver and draw away. Everything—everything in her wanted to get as far away from him as possible, and that was quite honestly the last thing she ever thought she’d feel towards her crush.

 

No. That’s not him. It’s not him, it’s not. She just…she just needed to remember that.

 

It’s not Adrien.

 

It’s not him.

 

Thankfully, she didn’t jump when a little paw rested on her arm. She glanced down, seeing two pairs of tiny eyes staring up at her in fear. Even without words or a way to communicate between them, the message was clear.

 

Don’t move.

 

“Why are you hiding from me?”

 

She remembered all the horror movies she’d seen. How there would be someone hiding just as she was—and how they would end up giving themselves away due to their panicking and heavy breathing. Bearing this in mind, she forced herself to breathe as slowly and silently as she could. But it was hard to focus. Adrien was right there and possibly only a different angle and a couple more lights away from being able to see her.

 

And this whole day was way too much like a horror movie for her to want to risk that.

 

“Is it that you’re scared?”

 

Oh, she had passed ‘scared’ over an hour ago and had moved on to being pure terrified. Seeing your classmates being picked off one by one to be converted to whatever “this” was until the last three or so left attempted a desperate final stand to give you a chance to escape really did that to you.

 

She wanted to push back further into the closet, but he was too close. She forced herself to stay as still as possible.

 

“You don’t have to be.” Adrien said, reassuringly. And for all that she knew better, it truly sounded sincere—like he actually meant it. It was mind boggling how he was acting like he was the one trying to save her rather than the other way around.

 

What kind of akuma was this, she wondered. It wasn’t the standard mind control, because for all intents and purposes, this was exactly how she knew Adrien would act in a situation. It was almost like it had kept his personality intact but just…twisted his thinking and morals.

 

“I would never let anything harm you.” He promised. He sounded so determined and certain of that. And heaven help her but she wanted nothing more than to believe him.

 

But she knew better. Those now glowing eyes of his told her better. Plagg’s silent shivering as he clutched her shirt told her better. Tikki’s desperate shushing gesture told her better.

 

“It’s not what you think.” 

 

She…she knew better. Didn’t she?

 

Don’t say a word.

 

“I know it seems scary at first, but you don’t have to worry! It’s all over quickly and then…” He gave a little laugh—soft and innocent, like he wasn’t talking about infecting people with some sort of monster against their will. “It’s amazing, Marinette!” 

 

She highly doubted that. She’d heard the screams. She’d seen the way Juleka begged as Rose forced that… _thing_ on her. She’d seen how savage the corrupted students had gotten when trying to forcefully indoctrinate the rest. She had seen what had happened to those taken and changed. How unnatural they had become.

 

It was no better than an akuma.

 

No…akumas had nothing on this.

 

“I can feel what they feel. And they can feel me. It’s like everyone is right there next to you no matter how far away you are! It’s warm. Like being held all the time.” He smiled, almost wistfully. “We’re all part of something so much bigger now. It’s…it’s not lonely anymore.”

 

And god, if that didn’t make her heart ache for him.

 

The little cat kwami hiding with her even winced at that, but shook his head at her. 

 

“No lies. No secrets. No misunderstandings. Nobody has to be alone.” He smiled brightly, gesturing widely as if to an audience and she could only pray that didn’t mean he knew she was there.

 

Or maybe…maybe this was for the rest of the hive watching through him?

 

She shuddered.

 

She really, really wanted to keep her head private, thank you very much.

 

“We’re all here together. We’re here for each other. Like a family.” And something in him seemed to twist darkly at that. “Now that I finally get to see what that is.”

 

Finally see? Did he mean his father? She looked down at Plagg, who looked back up at her solemnly but didn’t say a word. The two glanced back out the door to the one they both cared for. Fortunately, Adrien had taken a few steps in the wrong direction towards a few of the bigger desks, fortunately now at a spot that put him at a more difficult angle to see them. He looked under one of the desks to try to find her, but only grew more disappointed as he found nothing. Standing again, he looked around.

 

“I’ve never felt anything like this. It’s like there’s been a hole in my chest that I only just realized is there now that it’s being filled.” He smiled again, his eyes gleaming with an unusual sharpness.

 

She frowned, leaning forward slightly. She could have sworn she saw something. A twitch maybe? A jerk. Almost like—

 

Adrien shook his head. 

 

“But we can’t be complete without you.”

 

She covered her mouth and pushed herself even further into the crawl space, desperate to remain out of sight.

 

“You’re the last one. The final piece we need.”

 

She almost jumped at that and probably would have given herself away, but Tikki kept a tight grip on her arm. And for a little god, she was a lot stronger than she appeared. She glared up at Marinette, able to make her meaning clear without speaking.

 

Don’t. Fucking. Move.

 

She barely nodded in response. Right. Don’t move. Don’t say anything. Wait. Be patient. Think this through. She could—she could do this.

 

Just…why did they need her? Was it because of their class specifically? Was it because she was Ladybug? Or was there something else?

 

Marinette felt herself start to calm as she started on the beginnings of a plan. Her quick mind at work coming up with exit strategies. The stairs to the roof were just around the corner. She could easily go up without being seen if he went back down the corridor. If he went up to the roof, she could transform and hop out a window.

 

Okay. She could do this. She could make it out of this. Just wait until he leaves and then she can escape and track down Master Fu and come up with a better plan once she has backup—

 

“I know the truth now.”

 

Immediately her planning was derailed. Her breath hitched. What was he—

 

“I saw it from Alya. I…I _felt_ it from her.” She could see the look of awe on his face and the way his eyes almost seemed to tear up even as he was looking at nothing. “You’re in love with me, aren’t you?”

 

She froze.

 

No.

 

“You wrote that poem to me for Valentine’s Day.”

 

Please no.

 

“You loved me enough to help me with that date with Kagami, even though it hurt you.”

 

She’d never wanted him to know. Not like this.

 

"You even got the book back to my father. You took the blame for something you didn't do just so I could return to school."

 

She winced. She felt like her heart was going to leap out of her throat. Or maybe that was the growing urge to be sick.

 

“And you made my scarf. It was stolen from you, but you never took credit for it just to let me be happy.”

 

He knew? No no no, he wasn’t supposed to find out— 

 

No! Focus, Marinette! This meant Alya had been taken. And Marinette was really on her own now.

 

He smiled, and heaven help her he smiled so beautifully, like it was really that amazing that she would do those things for him instead of it being the simple crush it was.

 

“I just…no one’s ever done that for me before.”

 

She felt her resolve wilt. She wanted to comfort him, but the ever increasing grip Tikki and Plagg had on her arms was enough to keep her grounded and remind her why she was hiding in the first place.

 

It’s not him.

 

“You’ve done…so much for me.”

 

It’s not him. It’s not him. It’s not him.

 

“I’m sorry I never noticed.”

 

Not him not him not him not him not him—

 

He hesitated. “I can feel what each of them feel. They care, but this is different.”

 

She wanted him to stop. She didn’t want to hear anymore. She didn’t! But she couldn’t do anything without outing herself and then everything would be pointless!

 

Please! She had to hold back the whimper. Stop it!

 

“I want…I want to know how you feel.” He took a breath. “I’ve never known love like this and for you to go so far…” He looked around, almost as if he was desperate to see her. “You really care about me, don’t you? I…I want to feel what you feel for me. ”

 

Shut up.

 

“I want to feel it from you.”

 

SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!

 

“So please…won’t you come out?”

 

She couldn’t move. She couldn’t speak. She had to bite her own tongue to keep herself from making a sound.

 

“Please?”

 

But she wanted to cry. Was this how he felt? Had he really been that _alone_? She wanted to cry and scream and sob so very badly.

 

Later, she promised herself. She’ll cry later all the tears she needs to shed. But right now, she had to stay _hidden_!

 

Thankfully— _finally_ , he seemed to determine she wasn’t there and had turned away to move on to another area. But she had seen his expression and that look of heartbreak he wore made her want nothing more than to come out and hug him.

 

But it wouldn’t be Adrien.

 

It…it wouldn’t be him.

 

She just…had to keep reminding herself of that.

 

It’s not him.

 

It’s not him.

 

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly have no real story for this one. It hit me out of the blue and was written up in an hour.
> 
> If there is a bigger plot, it'd probably be that the class finds out about Lila's lies and naturally react poorly. One of them comes to the belief that everything would be so much better with no secrets. If they all could know what each other was thinking and feeling. If they had no lies between them.
> 
> Something grants that wish. And slowly but surely starts to take over the entire class.
> 
> Now they just need Marinette to be whole.


End file.
